Student Wellbeing

Student Wellbeing is linked to learning and is consistent with the values and vision of St Mary’s School. We strive to reinforce positive behaviour that reflects our Christian values and the good news of the Gospel.

Student Wellbeing at St. Mary’s is about members of the community feeling connected – experiencing mostly positive feelings and attitudes, having good relationships with others and being keen to learn. There are a variety of ways in which our community develops and enhances the wellbeing of our students. Whilst it is a factor in all that we do and all the decisions we make, there are some deliberate, well researched practices in place at our school that aim to support the wellbeing of our students.

Cornerstones

Our School Cornerstones are Respect for Self, Respect for Others and Respect for the world. These Cornerstones underpin all aspects of school and classroom life and are unpacked and discussed with students on a regular basis. Our Cornerstones Logo is displayed in all learning spaces as a daily reminder.

A Restorative Approach

Restorative Practices assist young people to become aware of how their behaviours impact other people. At St Mary’s we try to see instances of ‘wrong doing’ as opportunities for learning. We aim to work with students in circle time to help restore and rebuild relationships after harm has occurred. Within this process we work on building empathy and understanding which are vital life skills which students can take with them beyond their formal years of schooling.

St. Mary’s teachers have undertaken training in ‘Restorative Practices’. This recognises the importance of positive relationships among all members of a school community to enhance learning.

We aim to:

Build a positive culture that promotes social and academic success

Identify and prevent problematic behaviour in it’s early stages

Explicitly teach appropriate social skills to all students

Provide behavioural support for students

Buddy System

Nurturing occurs between older students and younger students in the school through the Buddy System. Opportunities are provided for buddies to interact on the playground, through the student leadership program, in the classroom and at our school Masses.

Student Representative Council

Each class has two representatives and meet regularly. Students explore the role of the SRC, how they can assist their fellow students and have a voice in the daily life of the school. The aim of the group is to promote connectedness and positive relationships across all levels of school life. The Student Representative Council is a group of students who come together to discuss ways to improve the school. Two students from each class are voted to be on the council and meet fortnightly (with teacher’s supervision) to talk about school issues. We discuss ways to improve the school and how to keep our school safe.

Student of the Week Awards

Student of the week awards recognise and encourage personal development and are presented by classroom teachers at assembly each week